2025 CFOD Season Preview "Your Mileage May Vary!" Predicted Playoff Teams: Mantle Division - Fightin' Oglethorpes of Georgia Koufax Division - Cincinnati Rock Ruth Division - California Coneheads Young Division - Park City Climbers MK Conference Wildcard - Arlington Arthropods RY Conference Wildcard - Miami Mangos #1 League Wildcard - Trisolaris Droplets #2 League Wildcard - Fertile Crescent Ziggurats WORLD SERIES PREDICTION - Rock over Coneheads ************************************************************************************************* MANTLE DIVISION PREVIEW - Predicted order of finish 1. Fightin' Oglethorpes of Georgia (Last season: 88-74, 4th place) - Byron Buxton should have one of his strongest years, hitting for power and swiping a few bases. Matt Chapman and Gunnar Henderson have an eye for walks and a little bit of power. Spencer Schwellenbach and Chad Patrick may not have much stamina, but will be strong in the playoffs. The bullpen is among the best in the league, and the Fightin' Oglehthorpes will be heavily reliant on them this year. While Georgia is the pre-season pick to win the division, it will be a very tight race between them and Arlington. 2. Arlington Arthropods (Last season: 98-64, Mantle Division Winner) - Last year's division winner, the Arthropods will be back in contention for 2025. Shohei Ohtani is the leading MVP candidate (again) and a 50+ home run threat. Taylor Ward, Trent Grisham and Hunter Goodman are all 30+ home run hitters, and Kyle Manzardo will be close. Luis Castillo, Kevin Gausman and Robbie Ray lead a solid rotation, and the bullpen is solid, led by Cade Smith. The Arthropods are a lock for the post-season, and are strong threats to repeat as division winner. 3. San Francisco Organization (Last season: 80-82, 5th place) - Pete Alonso continues to crack out dingers, and Jo Addell will join him in the home run club. Willy Adams and Cody Bellinger are also 30+ home run threats. Kyle Stowers and Nathaniel Lowe will also help the Organization produce an above average number of home runs. Nathan Eovaldi, Kodai Senga and Eric Lauer are not iron-men, but are playoff eligible strong starters. Ronny Henriquez and Anthony Bender lead a strong bullpen. The Organization will be the wildcard hunt this year. 4. Angry Candy (Last season: 91-71, 2nd place) - Junior Caminero and Riley Greene will be launching plenty of baseballs into the stands this year. Brandon Nimmo is another quality bat. The rest of the lineup is .. ok. Jesus Luzardo will be tasked with facing other team's aces, when it would be better to be a #3 or #4 starter. The rest of the rotation will struggle to contain runs. While the bullpen is a bit no name, they have several solid closer candidates. 5. Mechan Syndicate (Last season: 71-91, 6th place) - Jazz Chisholm is a 30-30 threat, and Ben Rice and Tyler Soderstrom are decent hitters. Mookie Betts will have an off-year, harming the offense. Carlos Rodon anchors the rotation, but the rest of the starters will struggle to match playoff bound teams. Edwin Diaz leads the bullpen. The Syndicate do have some talent to compete, and if everything gels they could be in the league wildcard race in the latter half of the season. 6. Port Huron Hubris (Last season: 89-73, 3rd place) - The Hubris are committed to the rebuild. Zach Neto, Teoscar Hernandez and Yandy Diaz are all strong hitters, but the rest of the hitting is average (at best). Visiting teams will feast on the pitching, which is easily division worst. Still, the Hubris have a high draft pick to look forward to next year. ************************************************************************************************* KOUFAX DIVISION PREVIEW - Predicted order of finish 1. Cincinnati Rock (Last season: 104-58, Koufax division winner) - Posting the best record in the MK Conference last year, the Rock are poised to repeat. Michael Busch has 30 home run power, as does Christian Yelich. Kyle Tucker should have a 20-20 season, and Corey Seager remains an above average shortstop. Cincinnati continues to host the league's best rotation, with Tarik Skubal, Hunter Brown, Garrett Crochet and Freddie Peralta all being legitimate aces. The bullpen is a bit no-name, but with a rotation like this, names are not needed. The Rock are the pre-season favorite to be the best team in the CFOD. 2. Trisolaris Droplets (Last season: 42-120, 6th place) - After a rebuilding 2024, the Droplets are set to roar back into contention. The offense won't likely have any all-stars, but they are consistently good, with rookie Drake Baldwin at catcher and recent signee Mike Trout. Addison Barger and Maikel Garcia add to the lineup. Pitching is the Droplets' strength. Drew Rasmussen, Bryan Woo and Gavin Williams are strong starters. The bullpen has lots of talent and options, led by Abner Uribe. It will be hard to catch the Rock for the division title, but Trisolaris have set themselves up for a wildcard spot. 3. Fertile Crescent Ziggurats (Last season: 51-111, 5th place) - A tough 2024 will translate into a solid 2025. Corbin Carroll will return to form with a 30-30 season, and Jorge Polanco and James Wood are 30 homer candidates. Jackson Chourio adds to the offense, and the future is bright with #1 overall pick Roman Anthony. Trevor Rogers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Andrew Abbott and Matt Boyd form an intimidating rotation. Bullpen is strong with Andres Munoz leading the way. The Ziggurats are in line for a winning season and a post-season appearance. 4. Somerville Sluggers (Last season: 77-85, 3rd place) - Andy Pages and Randy Arozarena are bright spots as hitters, and Willson Contreras has 20 home run power, but the rest of the lineup will struggle to stay with the teams in the upper division. Nick Pivetta, Ranger Suarez, Quinn Priester and Brayan Bello give the Sluggers a solid rotation. Emmanuel Clase and Will Vest are elite relievers, but the bullpen gets thin after that. The Koufax division will be one of the strongest in the league, and a 4th place finish here would likely be a higher finish in other divisions. 5. Pig's Eye Pirates (Last season: 96-66, 2nd place) - Trevor Story and Iann Happ have a little pop in their bat, and Nico Hoerner can get on base and swipe a few, but the hitting thins out after that. Joe Ryan is a solid starter but the rest of the rotation will struggle to compete with the top teams. The Pirates do have a few options in the bullpen, led by Jhoan Duran. Still, with the talent in this division it will be hard to post a winning record this year. 6. New Orleans Rougarou (Last season: 68-94, 4th place) - Julio Rodriguez and Vinnie Pasquantino can knock it out of the park, and Rodiriguez, Trea Turner and Jake Mangum could each swipe 30 bases. But a lot of other mediocre bats could stifle run production. What will really stifle wins is the pitching, which may be league worst. They lost 94 games last year, and this year will likely see the Rougarou post one of the worst records in the league. ************************************************************************************************* RUTH DIVISION PREVIEW - Predicted order of finish 1. California Coneheads (Last season: 102-60, Ruth division winner) - Kyle Schwarber will be a dinger machine, and possibly lead the league with 50+ home runs. Matt Olson has 30 home run power, and Bobby Witt Jr and Elly De La Cruz are speedsters who also sport extra base power. Veterans Chris Sale and Jacob deGrom lead the rotation, and Noah Cameron and Jose Quitana are solid back end of the rotation pitchers. Dennis Santana leads the bullpen. In a relatively weak Ruth-Young conference the Coneheads should stand out. 2. Miami Mangos (Last season: 91-71, 2nd place) - Brandon Lowe and Freddie Freeman lead the lineup. Colson Montgomery, Lawrence Butler and Bo Bichette are also quality names in the lineup. Cristopher Sanchez is an ace, and Zack Wheeler and Kris Bubic are solid starters. Emilio Pagan leads a strong bullpen. The Mangos are the leading contenders for the conference wildcard at the moment. 3. Dallas SuperSquad (Last season: 89-73, 3rd place) - Jose Ramirez continues to excel at third base and will be a 30-30 guy. Seiya Suzuki has some home run power, and Jose Altuve continues to defy father time. Isaac Paredes and Jarren Duran add to the lineup. Max Fried is a strong ace, and Lucas Giolito is a solid 2nd starter, but the tail end of the rotation will by iffy. Josh Hader lead the bullpen which should be decent. If things go well Dallas could vie for a league wildcard spot. 4. Topeka MooseDogs (Last season: 75-87, 4th place) - Spencer Torkelson is a power threat, and Fernando Tatis Jr has power and can swipe a base. Wyatt Langford and Josh Naylor are also double threats. Lots of stolen base power, the key will be if the team can get on base enough to convert them into runs. Merrill Kelly is a decent starter, but the rotation may have difficulties competing against the more elite teams this year. Bullpen is capable. 5. Slam Diego Termites (Last season: 59-103, 6th place) - Veteran Salvador Perez continues to post 30 home run seasons, and 2025 will be no different. Cristian Walker and Kerry Carpenter can also hit the longball, but all three will carry a low batting average and low walk rate with it. Ronald Acuna Jr is great when he is not injured. Cade Horton and Adrian Houser are solid part time starters, and veteran ace Justin Verlander is a solid middle of the rotation option. There are a few options in the bullpen but no one is likely to contend for Fireman of the Year. 6. Olympia Rainiers (Last season: 72-90, 5th place) - Juan Soto is an all-star, and could post a 40-40 season. Rafael Devers gets a full year with his new team and can launch the longball. The hitting gets pretty thin after that. Ryan Nelson and Logan Gilbert are solid starters, but the rest of the rotation will struggle for wins. Shelby Miller is their best reliever, but the bullpen may not be able to cover for the staring pitching. ************************************************************************************************* YOUNG DIVISION PREVIEW - Predicted order of finish 1. Park City Climbers (Last season: 96-66, 2nd place) - Francisco Lindor should star at shortstop and put up a 30-30 season. Manny Machado, Ramon Laureano and Vladimir Guerrero Jr should also have excellent seasons. The starting rotation is a bit no name and average at best (Colin Rea for ace, anyone?) but the bullpen is talented and deep, led by Robert Suarez. In a relatively weak division, the Climbers are the pre-season favorites for the title, but they may need to acquire some additional talent during the season to go far in the playoffs. 2. San Mateo Thunder (Last season: 107-55, Young division winner, 2024 CFOD Champions) - The Thunder won it all last year, and have enough talent to make another go. Aaron Judge should compete for MVP honors, and Pete Crow-Armstrong has elevated his game to contend for a 30-30 season. Ketel Marte and Bryce Harper will add to an above average offense. Logan Webb and Nick Lodolo are strong starters, but the depth gets very thin after that. To make the playoffs the Thunder may need to acquire a few pitching arms during the season. 3. San Francisco Piazza's (Last season: 68-94, 5th place) - Brent Rooker brings the thump to the lineup, and Giancarlo Stanton is excellent .. when he can get to the field and not being injured. Mickey Moniak is another lively bat in the lineup. Clayton Kershaw and Clay Holmes lead a capable rotation, and the bullpen is full of brand name closers like Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen. A few lucky breaks and some savvy trades during the season could see the Piazza's enter the playoffs as a league wildcard. 4. Tualatin Pioneers (Last season: 80-82, 4th place) - George Springer is their best hitter, who is good for 30 home runs. The rest of the hitting is very non-descript. Paul Skenes is one of the league's elite pitchers. The Pioneers have some options in the bullpen, led by Mason Miller. Their final regular season record will likely be similar to what it was last year. 5. Seattle Moshers (Last season: 66-96, 6th place) - Seattle may have the best hitting catcher in Cal Raleigh and first baseman in 1st round pick Nick Kurtz, but the rest of the lineup features low batting average, low walk hitters who will struggle to manufacturing runs. The starting rotation is full of future promise but not necessarily current performance. The Moshers do feature a strong bullpen, with closer candidates David Bednar, Trevor Megill and Pete Fairbanks. They lost 96 games last season, and may be on track for another 95+ loss season as they rebuild. 6. Long Island Reds (Last season: 84-78, 3rd place) - A new owner and new location, the Reds are in line for a rebuild year. It won't be completely terrible to watch, as Eugenio Suarez knocks out the longball at third base. Shea Langeliers is an elite 30 home run catcher, and Jeremy Pena contributes to the offense at shortstop. Framber Valdez and Ryan Pepiot are solid starters, but the pitching depth on the team will not be there. Still, they have a high draft pick in 2026 to look forward to.